Hidden in plain sight: The secret legacy of a Johns Creek cemetery

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. - Tucked away behind a steep, hidden driveway deep in the heart of Johns Creek, a quiet piece of history is being unearthed by families tracing their lineage back to the 1800s.

The Macedonia African Methodist Church Cemetery, also known as the Warsaw AME Cemetery, serves as the final resting place for more than 100 enslaved people and their first- and second-generation descendants who once worked on local farms.

What they're saying:

For Dometa Ouisley, the site is more than a historical landmark; it is a direct link to a past she is only beginning to understand.

"It’s an African American cemetery and we have family who’s buried here in the 1800s," Ouisley said. "I found out about this cemetery and I see so many people who are here that are actually related to me, so it means a lot."

Walking through the grounds, Ouisley pointed out the graves of her ancestors, including her great-uncle, Howard Ouisley, and her great-great-grandfather, Robert Ouisley. While she knows her grandfather, Herman Ouisley, is buried there according to his death certificate, his headstone is among the many that are missing.

Ouisley’s journey into her family’s history began roughly two years ago, sparked by a chance internet search and a childhood memory. She recalls visiting a cinderblock church on the site—built by her grandfather—when she was a young girl, though she had no memory of the cemetery itself at the time.

"My dad before he passed told me that I needed to find it," she said.

Her search led her to local historian Kirk Canaday, who has spent the last decade researching the cemetery. Canaday’s work includes documenting figures like April Waters, a woman enslaved on the George Morgan Waters plantation. In a rare historical move, George Morgan Waters bypassed Georgia laws prohibiting the manumission of enslaved people by freeing 30 to 40 individuals in his will.

Despite the rich history, Canaday says the path to preservation has been difficult.

"A lot of people are starting to find out about the cemetery. They really want to do something, but the problem is with transgressions and racism and all of that sort of stuff," Canaday said. "People say, 'I don’t want to get involved with that. It’s just too heavy.'"

The history of the land also touches those reporting on it. FOX 5’s Larry Spruill discovered a personal connection to the site during his coverage. According to Ouisley, the Spruill family was well-known in the region, once owning vast tracts of land stretching from the Johns Creek and Alpharetta area down to what is now Perimeter Mall.

For Canaday, the mission is now about moving from research to active preservation, a goal he says is only possible with the involvement of descendants.

"My whole mission is, I want the cemetery taken care of like it should be," Canaday said. "It’s been only me talking... but until I started presenting folks like Dometa... now we have family. That’s the key. The family carries the weight."

What you can do:

To learn more about the preservation and history, click here.